This programmatic study is designed to clarify the mechanisms of hypnosis and related altered states of consciousness. Not only has the modality widespread therapeutic applications but the spontaneous occurrence of hypnotic-like phenomena may relate to important psychological coping styles in everYday life. Further, hypnosis occurring in normal individuals provides a viable laboratory model for the investigation of several aspects of psychopathology, including those involving the controlled alteration of cognitive and perceptual performance, as well as a model for the study of meaningful dyadic relationships. Work carried out in the past year included (a) the continuation of systematic studies of posthypnotic amnesia as a phenomenon providing a paradigm for investigating functional disorders of normal and pathological memory processes, (b) exploratory studies of the relationship between an individual's hypnotic responsivity and his readiness to change in a therapeutic setting, (c) correlates of the wide individual differences in the ability to experience hypnosis, including those relating to punctuality, the ability to control altered states of consciousness as indexed by some parameters of sleep and napping, the possible link between individual differences in susceptibility to hypnosis and lateralized brain specialization, as well as other specific psychophysiological and emotional processes. BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES: Orne, M. T. Psychotherapy in contemporary America: Its development and context. In S. Arieti (Ed.-in-Chief), American handbook of psychiatry. Vol. 5. D. X. Freedman & J. E. Dyrud (Eds.), Treatment. New York: Basic Books, 1975. Pp 3-33. Orne, M. T. Hypnosis in the treatment of smoking. In J. Steinfeld, W. Griffiths, K. P. Ball, & R. M. Taylor (Eds.), Smoking and health. II. Health consequences, education, cessation activities and social action: Proceedings 3rd World Conference on Smoking and Health. Washington, D. C. U. S. Govt. Printing Office, 1976. in press.